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Florence Man Charged with Sexually Abusing Children

A Florence man is accused of sexually abusing multiple boys in his care of a period of years, the Boone County Sheriff's Office announced Saturday.

Harry G. Forgue, 28, was arrested late Friday night after what the sheriff's office called "a lengthy investigation which revealed years of sexual abuse against (the children)."

Forgue is accused of sexually abusing the children, all of whom were preteen or teenagers at the time, as a way to allow them to have their phone privileges back or to end other punishments, investigators said.

Investigators also said Saturday that Forgue installed several pinhole cameras throughout his home, capturing video of the boys using the bathroom and in other situations. The sheriff's office said that images were found on Forgue's phone showing the boys posing nude.

Each boy interviewed by investigators disclosed years of abuse by Forgue, the sheriff's office said. Investigators said that the images discovered at Forgue's home corroborate the victims' statements that they would have to perform sexual acts when they were in trouble.

Forgue is being held at the Boone County Detention Center on $250,000 bond and is charged with one count of first degree sodomy (victim under 12); two counts of third degree sodomy, three counts of first degree sexual abuse (victim under 12); three counts of first degree sexual abuse; six counts of video voyeurism; three counts of incest (forcible compulsion/incapable of consent); six counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor; one count of possessing/viewing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor; and one count of prohibited use of electronic communications systems to procure a minor.